Story Highlights

Growing up near a skateboard park, Tony Hawk considered himself lucky he was able to practice his skill.

"I never took that for granted," the skateboard legend said, "and I realized I probably wouldn't have had the chance to succeed without that facility."

That gratitude for skateboard parks and their ability to influence lives is the driving force behind the Tony Hawk Foundation. The foundation's mission is to improve society, with an emphasis on youth in disadvantaged communities, by supporting the creation of public skateboard parks across the country.

On Wednesday, the Tony Hawk Foundation was recognized for its efforts. THF was among three recipients of the Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, N.J.

Also honored: the San Francisco 49ers for their community service, including a partnership with the 49ers Academy, a school for low-income middle school youth; and LA84, which was created as a legacy from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and advances the growth of youth sports through programs and grants to more than 1,100 groups.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the nation's largest philanthropy devoted to public health, according to its website. The Patterson award, named for the former UCLA center who played between Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton, was first presented in 2005. It acknowledges those in sports who "demonstrate excellence, leadership, and a sustained commitment toward a mission that serves and improves the lives of others," according to the group's press release.

Hawk said skateboarding is a good way to build self-confidence and is how he learned to overcome challenges in his life.

"For us to be recognized for that work is a big deal for us," Hawk, 45, said. "It definitely validates our 10 years of work and raises our profile into mainstream philanthropy. We've always been trying to have validation for our work.

"It's not about trying to raise professional athletes or trying to breed them," Hawk said, "it's about having a place where [skaters] can share ideas, where it's safe, where they wont get in trouble or hassled.

"[Communities] have such problems with the kids skating on private property and their solution of just telling kids no or ticketing them does not solve the problem. They need to build a place because kids will continue to skate."

One of the challenges for the THF is combating negative stereotypes associated with skateboarding and initial reluctance from community members.

"They think it attracts negative attention and may be a place for kids to be disruptive instead of being positive," Hawk said. "But in almost every case, when they finally do approve a project, they see how much good use it gets and they build more about 75% of the time."

Hawk said the foundation lets the results speak for themselves when it comes to the naysayers. Since 2002, THF has helped create 537 public skate parks across all 50 states.

"It's usually the most used sports facility in the area," Hawk said. "There are people always skating from sun up to sun down. The same can't be said for other sport facilities in those communities. Also, parents like that there's a support system within the skateparks. The older kids will look after the younger ones and since the kids have been involved in the process of getting the park built they take pride in it and keep it clean."